THE HARMONIZATION OF FOOD SAFETY AND TRACEABILITY IN FARMED FISH PRODUCTION_AN EXAMPLE OF TAIWAN

There is now an increasing demand among consumers for high-quality and safe aquaculture products. However, in becoming an important contributor to the markets for seafood, the aquaculture industry has become increasingly subject to rigid food safety, traceability, and processing requirements (e.g. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP) etc.). In these recent trends, small-scale fish farmers, especially in developing countries and countries in transition, have encountered difficulties in meeting such requirements. On the other hand, although traceability is one of the latest issue in food trade market, there are still different requirements (and definition) in different country and organization. This paper conducts questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews, and examines the traceability system and supply chain system of the farmed fish industry. Otherwise, In order to reach the spirit of "traceability ", we also take Taiwan seafood industry as an example to show that how traceability and food safety conform the production responsibility, the independent management, food security. Empirical results show that with sustainability, traceability and food safety as the core components, there is a critical need for countries within the region (e.g. Asia) to forge international collaboration, harmonization and transborder policies to develop standards and mechanisms for HACCP, GAP/GHP/GMP, and/or traceability implementation. These standards must not only be accessible to large commercial/industrial production, but must also be beneficial to small-scale fish farmers. Finally, this research provides recommendations for integrating the producing and marketing channels, sustainable development and market strategy for the aquaculture industry are also discussed.